I had decided after my visit to Luxor in January 2006 that I would not visit there again but I knew when I was asked to become a Trustee of Luxor4care that I could not keep that promise to myself. If I was to be involved then I had to go back and "see with my eyes, think with my mind, and feel with my heart". I know that I could have done the jobs asked of me from my own home, but that would never have enabled me to feel as I do now. So, accompanied by my friend Joy and our own very restricted amount of luggage we set off for Luxor with an extra 40kilo of excess baggage and our own bags bulging!
During my all too short trip I was able to visit a number of establishments, meet the staff and hear a little of their needs and concerns, I was able to see and feel the conditions for myself, but most importantly I was able to meet many of the children.
The Good Samaritan Home is one of the establishments that Luxor4care has undertaken to help and I was very pleased to be able to visit here. I had seen photographs, but they did not fully prepare me for the real conditions.
The staff are doing an amazing job in the most dilapidated of facilities. The children, all of whom have some form of disability, either mental, physical or both are well cared for but lacking in so many things that many children take for granted.
Although there is a small school there, the equipment was very basic and I saw little evidence of good educational and stimulating play material.
Some children in the UK had given Joy about £50 and asked us to personally buy something for the children from them whilst in Luxor. Speaking to the staff we discovered that the main need at that time was some basic food stuffs and meat. We were able, with the help of an Egyptian friend and his new car to buy a large amount of the items on their shopping list and a few treats and deliver them.
Whilst the Sunshine Orphanage is not somewhere we are currently supporting, I was able to make a courtesy visit to their new premises for the under 5's. The contrast between here and the Good Samaritan home was astounding, and whilst the two homes fulfil different challenges, it was as though I was suddenly looking at something in colour as oppose to black and white.
I hope that one day we can help The Good Samaritan home become 'colour' too.
On my final afternoon I was taken by an Egyptian friend to a Therapy Centre for Children on the West Bank. This was a wonderful place and provided free physiotherapy once a week to children who were collected from a huge area of the West Bank. The facility is supported by Manacare, a UK based charity and has two Doctors, three young women who assist and a driver. The children, most of whom suffered from conditions such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, motor neurone disease and brittle bones are treated by heat lamp, muscle stimulation, hydrotherapy and physical manipulation by the Doctors. The mothers are also taught how to help their children exercise at home. The equipment is somewhat antiquated and sadly not all in working order. They are no longer able to use their small hydrotherapy pool, and their muscle stimulator is now also not working
This facility was so full of love and joy, and what is amazing seeing the condition of some of the children, they have seen many of their children learn to walk.
My trip to Luxor came to an end all too soon, but I am in regular contact now both personally and on behalf of Luxor4care with a number of people I met and look forward to visiting them all again as soon as I can.
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